A 68-year-old woman passed away Friday morning at St. John’s Hospital after rescuers pulled her out of her submerged vehicle the night before.

The woman, whose identity has not been revealed until family has been notified, had been listed in critical condition but alive on Thursday night following a group effort rescue attempt by the Pasadena Volunteer Fire Department and deputies with Precinct 8 Constable Phil Sandlin’s Office.

Just before 10 p.m. on Thursday, June 2, responders received a dispatch about a vehicle submerged in water on NASA Rd. 1.

According to Precinct 8 officials, the caller reported a car driving off the boat ramp at Clear Lake Park and into the water at 5002 NASA Rd. 1 with the possibility of an occupant or occupants still inside.

Upon arrival, the black four-door Honda was partially submerged with the trunk and back window visible. Precinct 8 officials reported that district chief Torina and a (CLEMC) medic were in the water trying to gain access to the vehicle and trying to determine if there were any occupants inside.

According to PVFD assistant chief Richard Waller, district chief Torina used a rescue tool to break the back window and began to search with his hands for occupants and he informed Precinct 8 deputies that a body was inside.

At that time, Precinct 8 Deputy Hays entered the water to assist Torina and the medic at which point they discovered a small dog.

According to Precinct 8, the CLEMC medic cut the leash off the dog and retrieved it from the car, but it was determined to be deceased.

Because the car was heavily submerged, the responders were not able to locate any other occupants at that time.

While Deputy Hays dove back into the water to attach a chain to the car’s under-carriage, District Chief Torina used a winch to pull the vehicle out of the water and that was when they observed a person inside. The winch which is on a Pasadena Volunteer Fire Department emergency vehicle was crucial to the rescue attempt.

Deputy Hays broke the driver’s side window to get better access to the woman and that was when responders were able to free her and pull her out through the back window of the partially submerged car.

The woman was transported to Houston Methodist St. John’s Hospital with CPR in progress and was revived. She passed away Friday morning at approximately 10:35 a.m.

Torina sustained cuts to his right hand and forearm from the broken glass and received several stitches.

“We never know what we’re going into, and when we show up, we’re trying to do the best job we can for the community,” Pasadena Volunteer Fire Department Assistant Chief Richard Waller said. “Sometime we have good outcomes, and sometimes we have bad outcomes. Unfortunately, while there was hope, this turned into a bad outcome with the loss of life. It doesn’t diminish the fact that we are going to respond and do what we’ve been trained to do, and the outcome is never in our hands. You do everything you can to preserve life, and when there is an outcome like this, it’s very hard on the guys.”

According to Precinct 8, the incident remains under investigation to determine how the incident occurred and at this time, there is no evidence of any foul play.